Gas-engine.



- A. AY.YBAMFORD- GAS E NG INE." v APPUCATION FILED FEB. 23. l9l5-Patented Dec. 7, HHSQ 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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A.-A. BAMFORD.

GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION HLED FEB. 23. 1915.

1,163,309. I Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

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GAS ENGINE.

A PPl 'JA ION FILED FEB. 23. 1915 Patented Dec.

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UNITED v STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR A. BAMFORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GAS-ENGINE.

T 0 all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ARTHUR A. BAMFORD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Engines, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to improvement in gas engines and moreparticularly to a rotary type of engine as distinguished from one inwhich reciprocatlng motion is converted into rotary motion for powerapplication.

One of the objects of myinvention is the provision of a gas engine inwhich there shall be no reciprocatin parts of appreciable size, and inwhich t e force ,due to the expansion of the burning fuel is deliveredat the periphery of the rotor and continued throughout approximatelyone-half a revolution.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a motor of this typein which the revolving members themselves carry no relatively movingmembers or parts, which move with respect to the revolving members, thusreducing the friction and wear incidental to such arrangements, as wellas eliminating the necessity of providing means for counteracting theenormous centrifugal forces incidental to such relatively mo ing partswhen rotated at high speed.

Another object of my invention is the provision of such an engine inwhich the valve mechanism is balanced at all times thus preventingundesirable wear upon one side or the other thereof, all thrusts uponthe valve I being axial and readily taken care of by a thrust bearing.Uneven Wear is thus prevented and the problem of lubrication greatlysimplified.

Another object of my invention is to provide adequate and simple meansfor cooling the rotary valve part by combining therewith a centrifugalwater pump or air fan caus ng positive circulation of a cooling me--dium across the walls of the valve and subsequently using the vpressurethus created for driving the cooling medium through a jacket or overvcooling fins on the walls of the rotor casing. 7

Other and further objects will become apparent to those skilled in thisart from a Specification of Letters Patent.

ments Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

Application filed February 23, 1915. Serial No. 9,852.

consideration of the following description and drawings wherein:

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved engine with its front casingcover removed exposin the rotor, parts being broken away to ilustratethe inlet and'exhaust openings as well as the spring pressed divisionplates. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a fragmentarysectional View on the line 55 of Fig. 1; and Figs. 6 to 9 inclusivediagrammatically represent the positions occupied by the rotating partsat different points in the cycle of operation.

The engine comprises in general tworotating parts, the rotor or powerreceiving wheel 10, and the rotary valve 11. The rotor 10 in thisparticular embodiment of my invention carries at its periphery twodiametrically opposite cam shaped projections 12-12 that make asubstantially gas tight contact with the inner wall 13 of the rotorinclosing casing 14;. It is thus obvious that the two projectingcam-shaped wings 12-12 coacting with the inner surface of thecylindrical casing 14 form two divisions or walls in the space aroundthe periphery of the rotor 10.

Projecting inwardly from approximately diametrically opposite points onthe casing 14, are two spring pressed gates or abut- 15-16, which'extend inwardly through the casing and into engagement with theperiphery of the rotor. The lower of the two gates, namely thatdesignated by the numeral 16, is carried in a projecting pocket 17 onthe casing 14. The inner end of the gate extends across the surface ofThe gas inlet port 22 and the exhaust port.

23 are positioned at each side of' the gate I the mixture.

16, the former being at the right, or in the direction of rotation awayfrom the gate, and the latter at the left.

The upper gate or abutment plate 15 is inclined away from theperpendicular 1n the direction of rotation so that the mushroomed edge24 at the left side thereof will on the explosion of the mixture tend tobe forced in greater frictional contact with the rotor and therebyinsuring a gas tight fit without depending entirely upon the pressure ofthe springs 25. The space between the rotor and 1ts encompassing casingis divided, except when the cams are directly under the abutment plates,into four chambersfA, in Fig. 1, being shown in communication with theintake port 22, B compressing its charge, C expanding with the burninggases, and the chamber D exhausting through the port 23. It is in thesefour chambers each varying in volume from zero to maximum that'the usualfunctions of the well known four cycle type of reciprocating gas enginetake place.

In .Fig. 1, the chamber A lssucking in a fresh charge, whereas thechamber B is decreasing volumefor' the compression of For the purpose oftransferring the compressedcharge from the right hand side to the leftof the abutment plate 15 as well as for the purpose of timing thefunctions for proper efiiciency,'1 have "provideda valve mechanismmounted at the rear of the main casing 14. This valve f member, alreadyindicated ingeneral by the numeral 11, comprises a semi-spherical cupshaped part 26 from the center of which extends outwardly a spindle orshaft 27, carried by the taper thrust bearing 28 in the casing 29projecting'from the valve casing 30, which in turn is secured by meansof the bolts 31 to the main casin 14. Any suitable means may be employefor driving this valve spindle at a suitable speed, in the presentinstance, the speed of the spindle. being the same as that of the mainshaft 32,

, upon which the rotor mounted, and the drive accomplished by means ofthe two sprockets 33-34, and chain. 35.

In the present embodiment of my invention I have providedtwo. cam shapedprojections on the rotor, two explosions taking place at every.revolutionof the shaft. The valve chamber is divided into twocompartments 36 and 37, by means of a diametric wall 38. If, a" largernumber of cam pro-- jections are provided on the rotor acorresp'ondingly larger number of compartments must be provi ed in thevalve. The edge of the cup shaped valve member 26 is flanged as at 39thus providing suitable bearing surface against the perpendicular wallof the inclosing casing. I have in the illustration of this embodimentof my engine eliminated all provision for'lubrication, thus simplifyingthe drawing, though it is. to be understood that suitable lubricationmust be provided for the frictionally engaging parts.

Two gas passages 40, 41 extend outwardly from the upper end of thecasing 14 at each side of the abutment plate 15, to the perpendicularface wall of the valve casing at diametrically opposite points. Thepassage 40 conducts the compressed gases to their proper compartment andthe duct 41 provides an open communication between the chamber and rotorat the left of the abutment plate 15 for the expansion of the ignitedgases and consequently power impulse.

The valve chambers'36 and 37 communicate with their respective ports 40,41

throughout practically the entlre rotation of the sparking points.

At the outer edges of the rotor 10 I have secured a pair of ratherflexible steel rings 45, 46, in frictionalengagement. with the sidewalls of the casing. These are secured near their inner edges by meansof the screws 47 and because of their slight amount of flexibilitypermit of an outward movement or flexing at the time of explosion, thusinsuring a gas tight fit at the sides of the rotor and preventingleakage into the center of the casing.

The front wall 48 of the rotor casing is removably secured by means ofbolts 49 so that on its removal the rotor may be readily drawn outwardlyfromthe casing after which the abutment plates 15 and 16 can be removedthrough the center of the aperture. The valve casing, as already hasbeen described, is secured to the main casing by the bolts 31 and can bereadily removed thus providing the structure as an entirety with thehighly advantageous feature of easy assembling or disassembling of anyof the parts for inspection, repair or renewal.

The outer wall of the casing 30 is spaced away from the outer spheroidalwall of the 52, near the penphery. Obviously the utilization of thiswall of the valve as a circulating pump insures the positive cooling ofthe valve structure, preventing overheating.

Whereas I have not shown the rotor casing as being provided with a waterjacket or the like, for the sake of simplicity, it is obvious that thesame may be cooled either by providing a water jacket and connecting itwith the water exhaust 52 or providing it with a plurality of thin finsand a positive means for insuring air circulation. In order that thewater supplied to the pump blade 50 may not leakoutwardly around thespindle 27 I have provided a packing 58 and nut 54 which engages with acounter-bore within the casing projection 28. A coil spring 55 pressedinwardly against the conical roller bearing 28, its outer end abuttingagainst the exteriorly threaded nut 56 and holds the thrust bearingagainst its work. Theopposite end of the valve is stepped as at 57, on abearing which is operative only when the pressure of explosion orcompression within the valve is absent.

Obviously the spheroidal shape of the valve chamber permits theequalization of compression and explosion pressures and the reduction ofside thrusts upon the spindle 27, the pressures tending to move thevalve outwardly or axially away from the face parts, this force beingreadily cared for by meansof the conical roller bearing 28.

In order that the air fed to the carburetor may be preheated I haveprovided twopipes 60 and 61 extending into the central portion of thecasing 14. Air drawn in through the pipe 60 is heated by contact withthe rotor and subsequently sucked out through til-to the carbureter.

P t; he operation of the engine can best be described by reference tothe diagrammatic Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9. It will be'understood that thesefigures are diagrammatic only and no attempt is made to have themconform strictly to the structural arrangement of my engine. In Fig. 6,it will be noted that one of the projections 12 of the rotor 10 is justpassing the inlet port 22 and the engine has completed its suctionstroke and filled the chamber B. with fresh gas. At this point the valvechamber 37 is open through the port 40, to the chamber B and as the cam12 swings around in a counterclock-wise direction, the gas is compressedand forced through the passage 40 into the valve chamber 37 In F 1g. 7,the cam 12 is shown as havin passed beyond the port 40 and the-valve camber 37 is out ofi by the sector 42 from communication with the port 40and is just about to open communication with port'* 4.1. When the cam 12passes somewhat farther as shown in Fig. 8, the explosion will takeplace within the chamber 37 and the gases rushing out through the thatthe operation ofmy engine and embodiments shown in Figs. 1 to 5inclusive will be clear, and whereas'I have made no attempt to design inthis particular instance the various ports, passages, etc., in a mannersuch as would give the. highest efiiciency and economy, it is to beunderstood that various changes might be made in the construction andarrangement of thedevice without departing from the spirit and scopeoflthe appended claims.

Having described -my claim is: j

1. In a gas engine, the combination of a rotor having spaced apartprojections on the periphery thereof, a casing inclosing the invention,what I rotor, an abutment carried by the casing and contacting at alltimes with the periphery of said rotor, ports in the casing ahead of andat the rear of said abutment, and a valve member having a compartmenttherein adapted to alternatively communicate with said orts.

2. n a gas engine, the combination of a rotor having spaced apartprojections on the periphery thereof, a casing inclosing the rotor, anabutment carried by the casing'and contacting at all times with theperiphery of said rotor, ports in the casing ahead of andv abutment anda rotary valve member having openings therein adapted to alternativelyopen communication the chamber.

4. In a gas engine, the combination of a rotor having spaced apartprojections on the between said ports and periphery thereof, a casinginclosing the rotor, an abutment carried by the casing and contacting atall times with the periphery of the rotor, ports in the casing at eachside of the abutment and a rotary valve member having compartmentstherein adapted to alternatively communicate with said: ports.

5. In a gas engine, the combinatitn'of; a rotor having spaced apartprojections on the periphery thereof, a casinginclosing the rotor, anabutment carried by the casing and at all times contacting withtheperiphery of said rotor, ports in the casing at each side of theabutment, a hollow valve member, d1-

, vided into a plurality of compartments, and

means for moving said valve member to cause alternate registering of thecompartments with the said ports.

6. In a gas engine, the combination of a rotor having spaced apartprojections on the periphery thereof, a casing inclosing the rotor, anabutment carried by the casing and at all times contacting with theperiphery of said rotor, a second similar abutment positioneddiametrically opposite the first, inlet and exhaust ports on oppositesides of the second abutment and means comprising a movable valve memberhaving a chamber therein for transferring the compressed gas from oneside to the other of the first abutment at timed intervals.

7. In a gas engine, the combination of a rotor having a pair of spacedapart projections on the periphery thereof, a casing inclosing therotor, an abutment carried by the casing and at all times contactingwith the periphery of said rotor, the second abutment positioneddiametrically opposite the first, inlet and exhaust ports on oppositesides of the second abutment and a rotary valve member having twocompartments therein adapted alternatively to communicate with openingsin the casing at opposite sides of the first mentioned abutment 8. In agas engine the combination of a rotor, a casing therefor, ahemispherical valve member, a shaft extending axially outwardly from thevalve member, a partition dividing the interior of said hemisphericalvalve member into two compartments, ports in the face of the valvecommunicating with the said compartments, a supporting bearing for saidshaft and means for rotating the same.

9. In a gas engine the combination of a rotor, a casing therefor, ahemispherical valve member having a compartment therein, ashaftextending axially outwardly from the valve member, ports in the face ofthe valve communicating with the said compartment, a supporting bearingfor the said shaft and means for rotating the same.

10. In a gas engine the combination of a rotor, a casing therefor, ahemispherical valve member, a shaft extending axially outwardly fromsaid valve member, a supporting bearing for said shaft, partitionsdividing the interior of the valve into a plurality of compartments andports opening from said compartments outwardly through the face of saidvalve.

11. In a gas engine the combination of a rotor having spaced apartprojections on the periphery thereof, a casing inclosing the rotor, anabutment carried by the casing and contacting at all times with theperiphery of said rotor,'ports in the casing ahead of and at the rear ofsaid abutment, and a rotary hemispherical valve member havingcompartments therein and ports opening through the face thereof andadapted to alternatively communicate with the ports in the casing.

12. In a gas engine the combination of a rotor having a pair of spacedapart projections on the periphery thereof, a casing inclosing therotor, an abutment carried by the casing and at all times contactingwith the periphery of said rotor, a second abutment positioneddiametrically opposite the first, inlet and exhaust ports on oppositesides of the second abutment, ports in said casing on opposite sides ofthe first mentioned abutment, and a hemispherical rotary valve memberhaving two compartments therein and ports opening through the face ofthe said valve member and alternatively communicating with the ports ateach side of the first mentioned abutment.

13. In a gas engine the combination of a rotor and a casing therefor, arotary valve member, a casing for the said valve member spaced away fromthe outer wall of the valve, and fluid circulation inducing bladescarried by the outer wall of the valve within the area provided by thespaced away casmg.

14. In a gas engine the combination of a rotary valve member having achamber therein, a casing for the valve member spaced away from one wallthereof, and fluid circulation inducing blades carried by said Wall andprojecting within the area provided by the spaced away casing.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR A. BAMFORD.

In the presence of STANLEY W. Coon, MARY F. ALLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O.

